#&$%^~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~¨#### ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
##&$%^~~¨¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨¨~~^%$&##
###&$%^~~¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨~~^%$&###
##&$%^~~¨¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨¨~~^%$&##
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ ANTENNA ARRAYS ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ AND ~OUR~ LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
##&$%^~~¨¨ GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ¨¨~~^%$&##
###&$%^~~¨ ¨~~^%$&###
##&$%^~~¨¨ AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ¨¨~~^%$&##
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
##&$%^~~¨¨ MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ¨¨~~^%$&##
###&$%^~~¨ DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ¨~~^%$&###
##&$%^~~¨¨ COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ¨¨~~^%$&##
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ NO ¨ ONE ¨ HAS ¨ ANSWERED ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~¨#### ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ SO WHY IS THAT? ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
##&$%^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^%$&##
###&$%^~~¨ MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ¨~~^%$&###
##&$%^~~¨¨ THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨¨~~^%$&##
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ SHOWS) ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
##&$%^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^%$&##
###&$%^~~¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨~~^%$&###
##&$%^~~¨¨ ####¨~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~¨#### ¨¨~~^%$&##
#&$%^~~¨¨¨ #¨¨¨~~~~~~~~¨¨¨# ¨¨¨~~^%$&#
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^
%^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^%
$%^~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~^%$
&$%^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^%$&